OREGON - A Texas man who scaled a mountain in Portland, Oregon, to kill himself there but changed his mind had to be airlifted off to safety in a dramatic rescue captured on video.

The man, who was not identified, had driven from Texas on Thursday (July 12) and ascended the snow-capped Mount Hood with no intention of descending, KOIN 6 News reported.

While on the mountain, the man called people to inform them he was planning to die there, according to officials. This is not the first time that the man has attempted suicide, they added.

"He ended up calling basically saying he was up there, he was going to be taking some medication," Mr Sean Collison with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office told KOIN 6 News.

But help did not arrive immediately. Mountain Wave Search & Rescue, a non-profit all-volunteer group, said they were notified at 5pm local time on Thursday to rescue a person. But the operation was delayed for safety reasons.

Mr Phil Cole, from an Air Force Reserve Command combat search and rescue unit based in Portland, said summer heat was melting the ice on the mountain, causing rocks to tumble down.

Rescuers reached the man the next morning and found him to be uninjured. But he needed help to get down the mountain.

The Oregon Army National Guard deployed two helicopters - an HH 60 Blackhawk and a CH 47 Chinook - to assist in his rescue. The Chinook lifted the man and his six rescuers from the summit to safety.

In a jaw-dropping manoeuvre captured on video, the Chinook hovered at a height of around 3350m with its tail end touching a steep snowy slope as rescuers helped the man climb into the chopper.

The man was later taken away by an ambulance.

In February, one climber was killed after falling almost 300m on Mount Hood. He was one of several climbers trapped on a trail surrounded by fallen ice and rock.

"This isn't your backyard hill. This is a mountain that is deadly," Sergeant Brian Jensen at the Sheriff's Office told a press conference after the accident.